Prototyping is one of the most valuable, and most misunderstood, parts of the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge design process. While nearly every team builds early versions of mechanisms, fewer than 35% use prototyping effectively to inform final robot design. This session will explore what true prototyping looks like in FTC & FRC: fast, scrappy, and focused experiments that answer specific design questions. We will review common pitfalls teams face, such as overbuilding prototypes or skipping measurement, and contrast them with best practices used by top-performing teams. Students and mentors will walk away with a practical framework for planning, testing, and iterating prototypes that save time, reduce risk, and lead to more reliable robots on the field.
Email evan@westside-robotics.info for slides.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tAYRNF7epjTzimbJLqHZI9iTsQ9JDzcb/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106088076332699635670&rtpof=true&sd=true